Expressing for an older baby

[Catslikehats]

In a month or so I need to be away from my DC4 during the day for a week. She will be 10mths old.

At present she is BF on demand and has three good meals a day. During the time I will be away she would usually have two "big feeds" and various top ups as and when required.

I have a couple of questions:

1. is it possible to express in advance the kind of quantities of milk she will require? Apart from expressing mls for top up feeds when a new born I haven't expressed for her.

2. How on earth do I figure out how much she will need?

3. Am I being precious? Would it make more sense to simply switch to formula?

4. Will this be the begining of the end as far as BF goes?

I'm just really not sure what to do. I don't want to stop BF but I have to be away during this time. Does mixed feeding ever work - my view (which I totally accept may be wrong) is that it is a precursor to exclusively FF.

Thanks

Your supply will be fine if you pump. My DD was 7mo when she got bronchiolitis and can't feed for a week. I was only feeling really full for 1-2 days. I was pumping 4 times a day, and then reduce to 3. I was able to go from that straight back to feeding 7-8 times a day when she can feed orally again.

Not sure about the ff question. To me DD is having all sorts in her stomach now. If she has constipation or diarrhoea or allergies it's unlikely to be the formula. I'm starting to send her formula to the nursery. But tbh she doesn't drink much of it. 20-30ml a feed only!

Actually rereading it you say it's only away for the day. I thought its for the week! You will be fine I'm sure whether you pump or not.

But be prepared your LO might be like mine. And will be drinking minimal formula or ebm just to take the hunger edge off.

At 10months my kids were at nursery and away from me 3 days a week. THey pretty much managed on juice and food, with maybe 4oz expressed milk. I expressed once a day and they fed quite a bit when I ws home with them and at nights.

You'll be fine. I'd not add any formula at all. She'll probably feed loads in the evening and at night when she's not fed by day.

Once breast feeding is well established I certainly found that it was much more Flexible than I thought it would be and it didn't matter what days i worked or what feeds were missed they managed fine and fed well after.

at 9mI was working ft, and expressing twice a day for DS. I left him with 2x 4ox bottles a day and at somewhere between 9 and 10m cut that down to 1x4oz bottle.

At this stage your supply is very resilient, so I wouldn't worry about it at all.

I am working ft and my DD is just over nine months.
She normally drinks about 400ml during the day when I am not there.
She has a feed from me in the night, a bit in the morning (depending how late her night feed was) and I do her bedtime feed too.
I pump 3 times a day at work.
You could start pumping now to get a stash in the freezer - it will ease your mind even if you don't need it.
Pumping in the morning is when I get most. I still pump at the weekends, during her first nap, because I find if you keep to your regular pumping times you get more out plus pumping at the weekend gives you a head start for the week IYSWIM.

If you are only away during the day then don't worry about what she needs, she can catch up later. Just give her what you can express. Even if you don't express while you're away supply will bounce back fine.

I'd say 8oz if you wanted her to have what she'll miss, that would be more than enough plus she can catch up when you get home.

DD had stopped having milk during the day Mon-Fri at this point and bottle refusers do so from earlier when mothers are back to work. Depends how you feel about more night feeds, maybe cluster feed her in the evenings and morings to help prevent them. You could then have a little babymoon weekend with the two of you cuddling in together and feeding more than normal.

I worked full time from early with both of mine and expressed. By 10 months neither of them had any milk during the day on work days they did wake up all night instead

Thanks everyone. That is really reassuring. I had visions of having to somehow pump 4 x 9oz bottles per day

runworkcook I had rather assumed that my nights might become fairly sleepless, which is a bit gutting since I am not getting an awful lot of sleep now!